Here is a rough draft of some racial background for a Barsoom game.
All Characters begin the game with the following feats for free due to the martial culture of Barsoom: Firearms Training and Weapon Training.
Green Men of Barsoom*
Attribute Mod: Str +2, Con +1, , Int -1, Cha -2
Bonus Feats: Large (Combat Modifier -1, +4 Grapple, +2 to Intimidate, Increase Str Mod Max to +9, Toughness +2, Space 10’, Reach 10’), Two Weapon Fighting.
Bonus Skills: Riding, Survival.
Favored Feats: Spirited Charge, Toughness.
*These stats are for a male Green Man. A female would have the following changes:
Attribute Mod: Str +1, Con +1, Cha -2
Bonus Skills: Craft, Medicine.
Favored Feats: Improvised Tools, Skill Mastery.
The Green Men of Barsoom have six limbs, two for walking erect, two used as arms and two in between which can be used as either. Eyes are set at extreme sides of heads and above center and can look in one or two directions without turning the head. Ears, slightly above eyes and close together; small cup-like antennae protruding about one inch on small specimens. Noses are longitudinal slits entered in face midway between mouth and ears. They have no hair with light-greenish skin color in infants and women, deepening to dark olive for adult males. Iris of eye is blood-red, pupils are dark, and eyeball is very white, as is the pair of tusks extending from the lower jaw upwards in a curve toward the center of the face where human eyes would be. Green Martian women are similar except tusks are higher and larger. Female bodies show rudimentary nails which the males lack. ERB notes that only the higher order of man and one mammal have well-formed nails. That mammal is not mentioned elsewhere in the novels, nor is it described.
Adult Green Martian males are fifteen feet tall and four hundred pounds in weight. Females reach ten to twelve feet. Maturity is age forty and lasts for a thousand years, until they voluntarily take the pilgrimage of death down the River Iss to the Valley Dor--Martian Heaven.
The Green Martians are nomadic in general, though Thark is a city usually occupied by five of the twenty-five tribes of Thark. The chariots of the green men are three wheeled and propelled by the mighty thews of zitidars, a mastodonian type animal. For personal transportation the green men rely on the thoat, a large beast with eight legs controlled entirely by telepathic command. Most of the hordes move about in communities of eight to sixteen hundred individuals and take all of their possessions during any move.
The green Martian hordes became a dominate power when the seas of Mars began to fail. They took up their warrior existence in the dead sea bottoms, multiplied, and therefore became the raging death of the dying Orovar white race, and the successor red races which surrounded the sea beds. The pride of this war-like society is illustrated in the ancient Tharkian proverb: "Leave to a Thark his head and one hand and he may yet conquer."
Red Men of Barsoom**
Attribute Mod: None.
Bonus Feat: One General Feat of player’s choice.
Bonus Skills: One of player’s choice at 3+Level in Ranks..
Favored Feats: Choose any two feats as the character’s favored feats.
These feats are available to the hero regardless of role. If allowed by the GM, a character can acquire one supernatural power in exchange for two feats at first level. This is instead of gaining any favored feats.
Special: +1 Conviction.
** Some Red Men are semi-barbaric and do not have advanced technology such as flyers or firearms. If your character is from one of these semi-barbaric nations then you cannot choose any skills or feats that deal with advanced Martian technology.
The Red Martian, like all the dominate human and humanoid races of Mars, is oviparous; that is to say they reproduce by eggs. For a description of this fascinating sex life, see the Green Martian section. The only difference between the Green and Red Martian cultures is the parental care given to new born. The Red Martian is fully aware of his and her offspring's identity, nor do they secret their egg in distant incubators; instead caring for it until hatched then raising the infant with love and affection.
In physical respects the Red man is like any human of Earth. At birth they are taught the use of weapons, becoming so used to them in fact that in later life they feel naked without them. Quick to temper, and quick to kill, the red race holds down runaway population almost solely through murder and casual violence.
This is not to imply that the finer emotional qualities are missing. Red Martian males revere their women. Not one of them can stand idly by and see a woman humiliated, injured, or abducted without speeding to their rescue. Sometimes, though not always, the rescued and rescuer find each other attractive and form a marriage alliance. This is accomplished by the simple expedience of the woman saying "my chieftain" to which the man replies "my princess". There is ceremony for marriage, though the officials and details involved were not specifically clarified in the Barsoom books, and seems to consist of a beautiful setting and the clamping of golden collars about the throats of the interested parties, or the use of handcuffs in ancient Manator.
The Red Man holds his honor above all else. He does not lightly offer his loyalty, as shown in the following passage narrated by John Carter.
“...the noble fellow...flung his sword at my feet.
Could you know the customs and the character of red Martians you would appreciate the depth of meaning that that simple act conveyed ... equivalent to saying, "My sword, my body, my life, my soul are yours to do with as you wish. Until death and after death I look to you alone for authority for my every act. Be you right or wrong, your word shall be my only truth. Whoso raises his hand against you must answer to my sword."
It is the oath of fealty that men occasionally pass to a Jeddak whose high character...inspired the enthusiastic love of his followers.”
If the recipient chooses to accept the oath, he will take the sword, press his lips to the hilt and personally buckle it on the giver's harness. Or it can be returned hilt first. If, on the other hand, the sword is handed back point first, or ignored, the oath is refused, the latter being a great insult which usually results in a duel. The oath is seldom offered unless acceptance is assured and the giver truly respects the recipient.
The red man does not shake hands in greeting. He clasps the shoulder of the person he is meeting. The depth of his happiness is expressed by using two hands instead of one. The formal salute is accomplished by raising both hands to the shoulders, palms facing forward.
For uncounted centuries the red man has maintained the vast atmospheric plant which is continually replenishing the thin air of Mars. This "Atmosphere Factory" is a building about four miles square with walls two hundred feet high, with walls one fifty feet thick and is impervious to assault. Even the roof is covered with five feet of glass to prevent airborne attack.
Slavery is common on Barsoom, but is most prevalent in the Red Martian culture. The majority of slaves are captured in the many wars which are a way of life for the Red Race. Some slaves are bought and sold, some born in slavery, but there is some generosity in the Martian breast, it is possible for a slave to win their freedom by combat in the arenas.
The average red Martian believes in ancestor worship, though other religions abound. For a race that lives as long as a thousand years, the exploits of their ancestors takes on new meaning. Most revere their ancestors and attempt to live their lives by adhering to lofty ideals, but few are so devout that they cannot makes changes in their own lives.
The religions of Barsoom are many, the majority of them being in the red culture. With the exception of Issus, described more fully under the Black Martian Culture and in Religion, only the Phandahlian god Tur, with a bible called a Turgan, seems to widely proliferate the red culture.
A deeply superstitious race steeped in hoary traditions, the red Martian reveres family, the sanctity of womanhood, and their ancestors. The depth of this love of family is shown when a loved one dies. The Red Man reserves twenty-seven days for mourning.
First Born
Attribute Mod: +1 (Str or Con)
Bonus Feat: The hero gains one bonus feat at 1st level out of the list
of feats available for the hero’s role.
Bonus Skills: Pilot, Swim.
Favored Feats: Favored Opponent (Therns), Seize Initiative.
The First Born or Black Pirates of Barsoom are over six feet tall with features that are clear cut and handsome. Their eyes are well set and large with an iris of extreme blackness, while the eyeball itself was quite white and clear. The physical structures of their bodies seemed identical with those of the therns and the red men only in the color of their skin did they differ and that is the appearance of polished ebony.
The First Born worshiped a living deity known throughout Barsoom as Issus. She has a multitude of lesser titles, and wielded great and absolute power until John Carter proved the religion to be a hideous hoax. Issus, accomplished through the unwitting aid of white missionaries, the Holy Therns, had perpetuated a vile and deceptive religion for her own sadistic purpose, but briefly it should be stated that Martians, achieving the upper reach of their 1,000 year life spans, voluntarily made a final pilgrimage down the River Iss to "heaven". Heaven being the Valley Dor where the Martians expected to receive the blessing of Issus and be granted immortality in a world where peace reigned. The reality, however, was quite the opposite, robbery, rape and murder where among the various endings these poor souls faced, or enslavement by the Holy Therns. Some of the unfortunate victims wound up in the Valley Otz where even more horrible fates awaited them.
The First Born does not work. They consider themselves the superior of all Martian races and exist by plundering the world. They periodically erupt from their hidden bases and attack with impunity, never fearing retaliation.
The Land of the First Born is located at the south pole in the Valley of Otz. The main city of this tall and handsome race is located below the surface of the planet on the shore of the Omean Sea, a vast body of water completely underground. It is here the First Born maintain their vast fleet of warships. The only other known habitation of First Born is in the northern hemisphere and is located in the geographic area known as The Rift, which lies between Horz and Gathol. This modern settlement has a population of 200,000 and is known as Kamtol. On occasions when the Black Pirates of Barsoom plan a large-scale raid the First Born of the two areas join forces, attack, then split the loot and separate.
Therns
Attribute Mod: +1 Int
Bonus Feats: Assessment, Connected.
Bonus Skill: The hero gains one bonus known skill at 1st level, in
addition to those gained for the hero’s role and Intelligence
score.
Favored Feats: Choose any two feats as the character’s favored feats.
These feats are available to the hero regardless of role. If allowed by the GM, a character can acquire one supernatural power in exchange for two feats at first level. This is instead of gaining any favored feats.
Holy Therns of Barsoom, a bald race that wears great wigs of yellow hair. It is likely these people are related to the ancient Orovars. The Holy Therns were the missionaries of the living deity Issus and live in the Valley Dor near the Lost Sea of Korus. A vigorous race, the Therns played upon the superstitions of the Barsoomian cultures until their power was broken by John Carter. These ex-priests have since taken up other forms of livelihood, usually as panthans, the Barsoomian word for mercenaries. They handle weapons well and in later books of the Barsoomian saga are mentioned as fighting men and living among the peoples of the red race.
Ancient superstition among all the races of Barsoom suggest that should any Holy Thern fail to reach their allotted 1,000 years of life, their spirit, may on occasion, pass into the bodies of the great white apes.
Okarians
Attribute Mod: +1 Dex
Bonus Feats: Exotic Weapon Training: Hooked Sword, Shield Training.
Bonus Skills: Bluff, Survival.
Favored Feats: Track, Weapon Bind.
In nearly all respects the Okarian race is similar to the social community of Red men. The basic differences appear to be in clothing and greetings.
The harsh climatic conditions at the Barsoomian North Pole require the Okarians to adopt a dress mode the more skin-loving races of the temperate and equatorial zones of Mars would find quite uncomfortable. Okarians wear furs when traversing the snow fields of their hidden northern valleys and maintain a clothed appearance while in their domed cities. The old familiar earthly hand shake is used when greeting in lieu of clasping shoulders as practiced by the Red Men. The Okarians, their skin the "color of a ripe lemon", are the only race on Barsoom which sport beards, making them unique in this respect.
Technologically the Okarians have used the sciences of Barsoom in several ingenious fashions. The geodesic domes which cover the three large cities mentioned in the manuscripts would appear to be among the largest man-made structures on the planet. Environmental support for these metropolitan areas comes from "sunray tanks", obviously a form of solar radiation and conversion. Electro-magnetic devices abound, most notably in their elevator and lift systems which connect the many underground sections to the surface. Inside the cities the Okarians use the Eighth Ray to add buoyancy to the great tires of their ground vehicles. The automobiles are powered by small engines, though most of the motive force comes from a silent propeller at the rear of the vehicle.
Jasoomian (Earth Man/Woman)
Attribute Mod: +3 Str.
Bonus Feat: Astonishing Leap*** and One General Feat of the players choice.
Favored Feats: Choose any two feats as the character’s favored feats.
These feats are available to the hero regardless of role. If allowed by the GM, a character can acquire one supernatural power in exchange for two feats at first level.
*** Astonishing Leap: Due to their Earth bound muscles, Jasoomians can leap far greater distances and heights on Barsoom than he/she would normally be able to do on Earth. Thus they gain a +10 bonus on all Jump checks. Also the following rules for the Jump skill are modified for Jasoomians on Barsoom. High Jump: Difficulty of a high jump is 10 plus the distance jumped in feet. Hop Up: You can jump up onto a object of twice your height or less with a Difficulty 10 Jump check. Doing so Counts as 10 feet of movement.
I am still debating on when to set the game. Either pre or post John Carter. I am not happy with the description of the First Born. Alot of that has to due with what timeline to use. Before John Carter they were pretty much a mystery. The time line would also affect the Therns as well.
There are two other races (Lotharians and the Kaldane) that I will most likely stat out but having them as PC's is a big question mark. They are very rare on Barsoom but it might be fun to run one.
Any suggestions, comments, or questions?
YS
Barsoom for the Cineflex system
why not take yourself over to Boardgaming Geek, register, and download the